Spring cushioning insole



Quad

Feb. 9, 1954 Filed March 14, 1951 w. SEIGLE 74 SPRING CUSHIONING INSOLE 2 Sheets-Sheet l WIN/c1711. Se liq/e INL-"ENTOR,

A 7'7'ORNEY Feb. 9, 1954 w. SEIGLE SPRING CUSHIONING INSOLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 14, 1951 FIG. 6

e "nun" FIG. 7

JQ/Y/Q INVENTOR.

BY M W.

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 9, 1954 UNITED sT ATEs PATENT OFFICE 2,668,374 SPRING CUSHIONING IN SOLE 'William Seigle, Dallas, Tex.

Application March l4, 1951, Serial No. 215,480

6 Claims. 36-28) The present invention relates to insoles for shoes which are to be worn by human beings. The term insole as used herein is intended to mean any device which is to be placed within a shoe for supporting a human foot, or-any portion of such foot.

The principle involved herein is intended to be applied to heel supports, arch supports both longitudinal and metatarsal, and to insoles for sup-- porting the foot throughout its entire length.

Applicant is cognizant of the fact that shoe insoles or foot supports have heretofore been used which utilize a helical spring for resiliently supporting the foot or a portion thereof. springs are usually wound helically to describe a cone, with its apex presented upwardly. The trouble with such a spring is that it exerts its upward pressure on a comparatively small area of the foot sole, and thereby often causes discomfort to the wearer.

' The insole of the present invention also utilizes cuniform helically wound springs, but does so in such a manner that discomfort to the wearer is eliminated.

The present invention anticipates the use of a The prings are of course made of spring wire,

preferably steel, and are so disposed with relation to each other that the lowermost spring has greater resilient strength than the one or more springs which are superimposed thereon. The

result is that the upper weaker spring or springs,

act asa cushioning means between the human foot and the upper end of the lower and stronger spring. This arrangement eliminates the development of a sore spot on the sole of the foot, normally present in insoles having a single spring therein, particularly if that single spring has suflicient inherent strength to accomplish anything beneficial.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide an insole which uti lizes helical springs as foot supporting media, with the springs being so arranged that they will cause no pain or discomfort to the wearer.

A further object is to provide a spring assembly for insoles and the like, in which a plurality of different sized helical spring are superimposed, but are positively held against misplacement.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with Such I 2 the accompanying single sheet, of drawings, wherein: r

Figure 1 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through an insole constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 7 I

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of a slightly difierent embodiment of the spring assembly, the dividing cup or plate being shown in vertical section; 7

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. 2, but showing three different embodiments of the spring assembly;

Figure 6 is a bottom view of a shoe within which an insole of .the present invention is disposed, the spring assemblies of the insole being shown in dotted lines; and,

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral l indicates, as a whole, a lower layer or base sheet of any suitable sheet material (Fig. l). The material from which the sheet I is formed may be leather or fabric, but in the drawing it is shown as being of sheet rubber or rubber compound. The sheet 'I is provided with an orifice 2, which is spanned by a centrally indented plate or cup 3 made of some rigid sheet material, such as metal or some mineral plastic. The edge portions of the plate 3 are preferably vulcanized or cemented to the upper surface of the base I, so that the plate is rigidly anchored thereto.

A first or large helically Wound metal spring 4 has its lower largest convolution 5 seated in the indentation in the plate 3, and the convolutions of the spring thereabove are gradually reduced in diameter to form a somewhat conical peripheral outline. The reference numeral 6 indicatesthe uppermost and smallest convolution of the spring 4.

Seated upon the uppermost convolution 6 of the spring 4 is a second centrally indented plate or cup I, which seats the largest convolution 8 of a smaller coil spring 9. The smallest convolution of the smaller spring 9 is indicated by the reference numeral l0.'

Above the upper end of the upper spring, there is provided a sheet I I of material which is similar to the sheet I. To the bottom surface of the upper sheet 5 I, there is rigidly attached a depending boss or lug I2, which has its lowermost axial or central portion I3 nested in the upper convolution IU of the spring 9. A reinforcing or thickening sheet 14 may, if desired, be placed between the lug i2 and the sheet H, and it is preferable that this sheet [4 be formed of a material similar to that of the sheets I and H.

The springs 4 and 9 of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, are, of course, shown enlarged, and are also shown fully distended or expanded. In assembling the parts enumerated and illustrated in Fig. 1, the sheets I and H are brought closer together, and their edge portions, or in other words those portions which are somewhat remote from the springs i and '9, are adhered together to form a double-thick body, which rests upon the upper portion of a conventional shoe sole, and which fits the bottom surface of a wearers foot.

When the device thus assembled is placed in a shoe, either as support for the longitudinal arch, as a metatarsal support, or as a heel support, the weight of the wearer first partially compresses the upper spring 9. As the upper spring is being compressed, its tension increases as the upper sheet moves downwardly, and before the upper spring reaches a fully compressed condition, the

upper convolutions of the lower spring 4 begin to becornpressed. This later compression continues until both springs are almost fully compressed at mid-stride of each step of the wearer. The reinforcing sheet (4 tends to distribute or spread the combined upward force of the two springs 4 and 9, and thereby eliminates the spot discomfort occasioned by single spring foot supports. If desired, the reinforcing sheet 14 may be made in the form of a sheet metal disc, when an additional distribution of the spring force is found necessary.

In Fig. 2, there is illustrated a helical spring arrangement wherein the upper spring 9 has been inverted. In such an assembly, the spot soreness is further eliminated, because the largest convolution 8 of the spring is presented upwardly instead of downwardly, as is shown .in Fig. 1. In this latter embodiment, the springs 4 and 9 are divided by a suitably formed plate or disc 15, having an annular concentric groove 16 surrounding an axial boss II.

In Fig. 3, a third conical coil spring 20 has been superimposed upon the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 2, with a disc 2| impinged between and separating the springs 9 and 20. In this latter embodiment, the largest convolution 22 of the spring 20 is seated on the disc 2|, and .its smaller convolution 23 is presented upwardly.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated aspring assembly similar to that of Fig. 3, but in which the relative positions of the springs 9 and 20 have been reversed. In this arrangement, the disc 2| is supplanted by a cup 24 having an axial downwardly extending boss or lug v25 to fit in the smallest convolution of the spring 9.

In Fig. is illustrated a spring assembly similar to that of Fig. 4, but with the spring 20 .inverted. In this embodiment there is provided a suitable cup or disc .26 having a depending lug 27 fitting within the smallest convolution H! of the spring 9.

It is anticipated that any desired relative positions of the springs 4, 9 and 20 may be found desirable to meet various problems in foot cushioning, and consequently, other combinations are necessary to an understanding of the inventive principle involved herein.

vIn Figs. 6 and 7, the reference numeral .1] inam limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In a cushioned insole to be worn in shoes.

.said insole having upper and lower sheets of pliant material, the combination with said sheets, of a plurality of separate individual cushioning units spacedly disposed between the sheets, each of said units comprising: a plurality of superimposed helical springs; and an individual disc of rigid sheet material between the adjacent ends of said springs, said disc being unanchored elsewhere and being free to move vertically and to sway laterally with the adjacent spring ends, said sheets being adhered together around the units to limit the springs to substantially vertical movement only.

2. Structure as specified in claim 1,, and: means formed in the discs for keeping the springs of each unit in stacked relation to each other.

3. Structure as specified in claim 1, and: means between the upper spring of each unit and the upper sheet, for distributing the upward thrust of the springs laterally over an area of the sheet which is greater than the lateral expanse of the springs upper end.

4. In a cushioned insole to be worn in shoes, said insole having upper and lower sheets of pliant material, thecombination with said sheets, of a plurality of separate individual cushioning units spacedly disposed between the sheets, each of said units comprising: a plurality of superimposed helical springs; an individual disc of rigid sheet material between the adjacent ends of said springs, said discs being unattached elsewhere and being free to move vertically and to sway laterally with the adjacent spring ends; means for anchoring the lower spring to the lower sheet; means for anchoring the upper spring to the upper sheet; and means for preventing independent horizontal movement of the two sheets.

5. Structure as specified in claim 4, and: means formed in the discs for keeping the springs of each unit in stacked relation to each other.

6. Structure as specified in claim 4, and: means between the upper spring of each unit and the upper sheet, for distributing the upward thrust of the springs laterally over an area of the sheet which is greater than the lateral expanse of the springs upper end.

WILLIAM SEIGLE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,194,152 Douglas Aug. 8, 1916 1,502,087 Burns July 22, 1924 2,437,227 Hall Mar. 2, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 608,180 Great Britain Sept. '10, 1948 war-- 

